Growing concerns over security of baby monitors as more families report 'hacking'
There are growing concerns about the safety of baby monitors with another couple suspecting their device has been hacked.
Queensland couple Emma and Zac McCarthy aren’t convinced it was just a glitch, despite being told as much by manufacturer Uniden.
Mrs McCarthy said she was changing her daughter’s nappy when she noticed the monitor.
“I sat down to start feeding her and the camera turned and focused straight on us,” she said.
“[It’s] very uncomfortable knowing that someone could potentially be watching our daughter.”
Criminals can use search engines to locate vulnerable devices like baby monitors on your home network.
Security and privacy expert professor Bill Caelli said it is “definitely possible” someone could have hacked the camera.
“When they were designed and built, security, privacy, were not considered,” he said.
Mr McCarthy said the camera sometimes tracks across and “sort of” follows people through the room.
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The McCarthy’s say their camera isn’t connected to the internet.
A Perth family with the exact same monitor believes cyber hackers have used theirs to spy on their daughter.
Katie McMurray and her partner Sean Johnson, from Waikiki, bought one to watch three-month-old Chelsea from another room.
But when Katie changed her daughter's nappy, she noticed the camera iris move and turn to track her every move.
"Shocked, really made me quite sick," she told 7 News.
"I feel like we buy these things to make sure our kids are safe, and then you don't know who is watching," her partner Sean said.
Professor Caelli advised to check with the supplier about the camera’s security.
